Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

At this stage of the debate, everybody has said everything one would wish to say. We are all singing from the same hymn sheet and there is no need to repeat what has been said. I welcome the Minister to the House. She always has a smile on her face, has been a fantastic Minister and has worked very hard on behalf of our children. I thank her for that.

Nobody can overestimate the importance of early intervention, which is vital for our children. I have come across a number of adults who cannot read or write, which is very sad in this day and age. The reason is that when they were young and in school, there was no help for them. Unfortunately, because they were that bit slower or could not keep up with the rest, they were put to the back of the class and left there. As a result, they did not learn to read or write. This situation shows the importance of early intervention; their situation could have been avoided had the services been available.

I particularly wanted to speak in this debate about the HSE services plan. We got a briefing on our HSE services plan in Kerry last Monday. In discussing that plan we spoke about the reconfiguration of children's disability therapy services. I am not speaking against the plan, but it proposes to amalgamate the Brothers of Charity and Enable Ireland and other services and to have them all working from the one centre. However, no extra resources are to be provided. It is proposed to bring into the net all those children who are left out and not getting the services currently and to expand and grow on that. This is great news and hopefully it will happen. However, I am concerned that the services for existing children will be diminished due to the fact that no extra resources are to be provided.

The Brothers of Charity in Killarney also run a fantastic preschool for children with all sorts of disabilities. The benefits to the children who go through that preschool are untold, as is the work put in by those working there. However, the facility is not set up to take any older children with wheelchairs. I believe this will be a problem in the long run. I would welcome the Minister's opinion on this and on whether we will be able to put more resources into this campaign. Otherwise, what is there for the children currently will be reduced. The staff will remain at the same level, but if more children come into the system, the staff will have to spread themselves more thinly on the ground.

Senator Zappone spoke about cashflow services schemes. Today, at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection, a presentation was given on poverty in Ireland and we were told of the significant number of children encountering poverty in Ireland. Yesterday, I spoke on the Order of Business about the mobility allowance, which is to be abolished in four months' time, although I understand we are considering an alternative scheme. One cannot underestimate the value of a monetary payment to these people. It allows them to provide their own transport to take their children in wheelchairs to early intervention services, to speech and language therapy and whatever other services they need. It is not always so easy to have a bus or van, such as a Vantastic van, in situ to transport children at the right time. It is all about timing. How can we tell these people they must be at a certain place at 3 p.m. or 11 a.m.? This will not work in rural Ireland. The best solution is for parents to continue doing what they are doing by providing their own transport and using the mobility allowance to maintain and buy vehicles in which they can transport their children. I understand this issue does not come within this Minister's remit but, as Senator Zappone said, one cannot beat having a woman at the Cabinet table. Perhaps it is sexist to say that. However, I know how women react to the position of children with disabilities and I hope the Minister will put a good case forward for maintaining a monetary payment for people providing transport for children, particularly those with disabilities, to enable them to continue availing of the services.